Former French Minister of Health Olivier Veran has admitted that the government’s policy at the beginning of the pandemic of not requiring the wearing of masks was wrong. However, speaking on Franceinfo, he said that the government was following health advice. At that time the World Health Organization was saying that the wearing of masks in the general population was not useful. Oliver Veran has recently written a book about the health crisis.
Meanwhile, the French Ministry of Health has issued a reminder about the wearing of masks to protect against Covid-19. In a social media post the ministry said that to protect yourself and others against the coronavirus, wearing a mask is strongly recommended in places where there are a lot of people, especially on transport.
The south-west of France is going through another heatwave today. Temperatures have reached the upper 30's in an area centred on the Landes and Gironde departments, while a large part of western France has seen temperatures in the low to mid 30's. Meteo France said that the heat across France should be short-lived, with storms progressing over the country from Tuesday. Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms are expected in the middle of the week, from the Gulf of Lion towards the east of France, including our region. Temperatures will drop a little more each day to return to levels closer to seasonal averages by the end of the week.
Tests of the emergency alert sirens will be carried out in Tende tomorrow. The Alpes-Maritimes prefecture said that technical works will be carried out with test of the sirens in Tende at 2:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
BUSINESS
The UK economy grew by 0.2% in July, following a sharp drop in the previous month according to the Office for National Statistics. It said the services sector was the biggest contributor to growth, helped by the UK hosting the Women's Euro Football Championship. The growth was slower than the 0.3% expansion economists had expected.
Economic research body the ifo Institute has slashed its forecast for Germany’s economic growth, saying that the country is heading into a winter recession. It now expects economic output in Germany to fall by 0.3 percent, and growth of only 1.6 percent for this year. Inflation is expected to average 8.1 percent this year and 9.3 percent next year. The organization doesn’t expect a return to what it calls “normal” until 2024, with 1.8 percent growth and 2.5 percent inflation.
SPORT
Cricket...England have scored a nine-wicket victory over South Africa. They took only 25 minutes to hit the 33 runs they needed for victory in the third and deciding Test. Victory was achieved in just over two days of play after day one was washed out and day two cancelled as a mark of respect following the death of Her Majesty the Queen.
Football.... English Football League fixtures will return from Tuesday. Tributes will be paid to Her Majesty the Queen at football grounds, with a minute's silence to be held before matches and the national anthem played. Black armbands will be worn and flags will be flown at half-mast.
The Var and the Alpes-Maritimes are on Meteo France alerts for high winds until eight o’clock this evening as Storm Benjamin passes through our region...
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France is preparing for severe weather as Storm Benjamin sweeps in from the British Isles, bringing violent winds, heavy rain and powerful coastal wav...
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Storm Benjamin is on the way. It’s expected that the Atlantic coast and parts of north-west France will be worst affected, but Meteo France have yello...
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Dozens of left-wing activists have marched through Nice, protesting plans to name a public square after former president Nicolas Sarkozy, the march oc...
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Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has started a jail sentence for campaign finance conspiracy today...
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